Add fresh peat to peatland (before planting)
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Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
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Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?
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Effectiveness
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Supporting evidence from individual studies
A replicated, controlled, before-and-after study in 1998–2000 in a historically mined raised bog in New Zealand (Schipper et al. 2002) reported that amending plots with fine peat allowed greater cover of two sown species to develop, although for one species only in the absence of fertilizer. These results are not based on tests of statistical significance. After 810 days, plots amended with peat before sowing manuka Leptospermum scoparium seeds had 99–100% manuka cover, compared to only 1–68% manuka cover in plots not amended with peat. Plots amended with peat before sowing bamboo rush Sporadanthus ferrugineus seeds developed 0–32% rush cover (0–6% when fertilized; 32% when not fertilized), compared to 0–11% when not amended with peat. In March 1998, forty-eight 25 m2 plots were sown: 24 with manuka and 24 with bamboo rush. For each plant species, eight plots were on a 30 cm layer of fresh fine peat and 16 directly on the existing bare peat (but note this was also tilled). Some plots were fertilized with phosphorous, nitrogen or both. In June 2000, canopy cover was visually estimated in each plot. This study also reported the effect of fertilization in unsown plots (see original paper).
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Where has this evidence come from?
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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:
Peatland Conservation
Peatland Conservation - Published 2018
Peatland Conservation